Posts Tagged CCS projects in United Kingdom

UK emits more than 500million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide every year. One third of electricity in UK is produced from coal. Aberthaw B, Cockenzie, Cottam, Didcot A, Drax, Eggborough, Ferrybridge C, Fiddlers Ferry, Ironbridge, Kingsnorth, Longannet, Lynemouth, Ratcliffe, Rugeley, Tilbury B, West Burton, Wilton, Uskmouth are some of the coal fired power stations in United Kingdom.

In 2007, Scottish power announced a feasibility study into converting Cockenzie and Longannet, its two largest power stations, to clean coal technology. The total generating capacity of the two stations is 3390MW and the new technology would reduce about 20% of Co2 emissions at both stations and operation is expected to start in 2012.

Longannet (2nd largest coal – fired power station in UK and 3rd largest coal – fired power station in Europe) is generating 2400MW electricity and Scottish power launched a carbondioxide capture plant at Longannet in September 2008.

Tesside (Centrica and Progressive energy):

Coastal Energy Ltd, a joint venture between Centrica and Progressive Energy, plans to build an 850 MW IGCC plant with pre-combustion capture at Tesside. If built, around 85% of CO2 emissions will be captured and stored under the North Sea.

Ferrybridge (Scottish and Southern Energy):

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) is examining to replace the present power station at Ferrybridge, which include a new 800 MW supercritical and ‘carbon capture ready’ plant.

Killingholme and Kingsnorth (E.ON UK):

E.ON announced a feasibility study for a 450MW IGCC plant to be built on a site next to the Killingholme power station. E.ON is also proposing to construct two new 800 MW cleaner coal units at their Kingsnorth power station which is expected to reduce Co2 emission by 20%.

Hatfield (Powerfuel):

In 2003 planning permission was granted for a major re-development of the Hatfield Colliery Site, which included permission to develop a new 900 MW natural gas CCGT and coal IGCC power plant. The plant is expected to begin operation at the end of 2011 and could be available for CCS by 2013.

Hunterston (Peel Energy):

Ayrshire Power Limited (APL) is proposing to build a new multi-fuel power station at Hunterston, North Ayrshire.

Onllwyn (Progressive Energy):

Valleys Energy Ltd (a partnership that includes Progressive Energy) has developed a proposal to construct a new 450 MW IGCC plant with CCS at Onllwyn, near Drym. It would capture about 2.4 million tonnes of Co2 per year.

Aberthaw (RWE npower):

In 2009, RWE npower and Shell have agreed contracts to build a 3MW post-combustion capture pilot plant which will be capable of capturing 50 tonnes of Co2 per day at Aberthaw Power Station in Wales.

Renfrew (Doosan Babcock):

In July 2009 Doosan Babcock opened the world’s largest ‘OxyCoal’ Clean Combustion Test Facility. The project is a collaboration between Doosan Babcock, DECC and Scottish and Southern Energy, as well as Air Products, Drax, DONG, EDF, E.ON, ScottishPower, Vattenfall and UK Coal.

Didcot (RWE nPower):

RWE npower is currently running CO2 capture test facilities at Didcot Power Station. The facilities were commissioned in 2008 and test both post-combustion and oxyfuel capture methods.

Peterhead (Hydrogen Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy):

Peterhead, a joint project between Hydrogen Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy, was planned to be a 475 MW natural gas-fired plant with CCS. The cost of the plant was estimated as $1.9 billion and would have captured 1.8 million tonnes of Co2 per year. Unfortunately the project was cancelled, but elements of it have been taken forward in other schemes.

UK Carbon Capture and Storage Community Network (UKCCSC):

UKCCSC has been established to expand CCS research in UK and to provide an open forum for sharing information and ideas in carbon capture and storage during a period 2009-2013. UKCCSC is funded by a £1 million grant from Research Councils UK Energy Programme. Any UK based researcher interested in contributing to research and innovation in CCS can participate in UKCCSC core activities (ie two face-to-face meetings each year for academic researchers to share ongoing work and updating key stakeholders). A regular newsletter will be circulated to UKCCSC members and registered stakeholders (http://www.co2storage.org.uk/News.html).

UKCCSC is run by Robin Cathcart, Network Manager. UKCCSC is run by a secretariat which is based at University of Edinburgh. UKCCSC is led by both PIs for the project, Professors Jon Gibbins (School of Engineering) and Stuart Haszeldine (School of Geosciences). There are two Co-PIs for the project, Hannah Chalmers and Mark Wilkinson. Co-PIs provide guidance for careers programme and UKCCSC newsletter respectively. Nicola McRobbie and Vivian Scott are providing part time support for UKCCSC secretariat.

Advisory committee is providing guidance for the development of UKCCSC which include government, NGO, industry and academic members with strong background and interest in CCS.

UKCCSC include about 250 academic members (engineering, technological, natural, environmental, social and economic academic members with CCS interests) and also 250 industry, Governmental and NGO Stakeholders. An international reference user group is made up of representatives from organisations based in other countries or with international activities. The group ensures that strong links are maintained between UK researchers and the international CCS community.

Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA):

CCSA exists to promote business of Carbon capture and storage and to raise awareness in UK and internationally. Aims of CCSA include inform public, professions and policy makers about the environmental, technical, socio-economic and commercial benefits of CCS, provide advice to policy makers on regulatory issues and potential incentive mechanisms associated with CCS, promote industry priorities on financial, technical, research and policy issues related to CCS etc.

The joint UK-China Near Zero Emissions Coal (NZEC) initiative addresses the challenge of increasing energy production from coal in China and the need to tackle growing carbon dioxide emissions. The EU-China NZEC agreement was signed at the EU-China Summit under the UK’s presidency of the EU in September 2005 as part of the EU-China Partnership on Climate Change and the objective of this agreement is to demonstrate near zero emissions coal technology in both China and EU by 2020.

UK and China anticipated a three-phase approach in which phase 1 has explored options for demonstration and build capacity for CCS in China, Phase 2 will carry out further development work on storage and capture options leading to Phase 3, which will construct a demonstration plant by 2015.

Phase 1 of NZEC is funded by UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change. Objectives of phase 1 are to enable knowledge transfer between Chinese and UK parties, model the future energy requirements of China by taking CCS technologies in to account, produce case studies of potential CCS technologies and build capacity in China for evaluation of Storage potential of Co2 and undertake preliminary screening of potential sites suitable for geological storage of CO2. NZEC has worked particularly closely with the COACH project (COoperation Action within CCS CHina-EU).